Democrats Continue to Blast Perez for DNC Endorsement of Cuomo

“I was like, ‘Is he crazy?’” one DNC committeewoman asked after last week’s event.

By NTK Staff | 05.30.2018 @2:15pm

Democratic National Committee (DNC) Chairman Tom Perez either didn’t realize endorsing Gov. Andrew Cuomo (D-NY) for reelection would be a contentious issue or he didn’t care. Either way, he and the DNC are dealing with the fallout now.

Perez publicly backed Cuomo over primary rival and “Sex and the City” star Cynthia Nixon, a political novice but a favorite of far-left liberals. Immediately after the event, Politico ran the headline: “Perez infuriates liberals with Cuomo endorsement.”

Liberals’ fury has not subsided, according to a new report from the Huffington Post.

“I was like, ‘Is he crazy?’ What does he think the response is going to be from progressives who already had doubts about the DNC?” said Yasmine Taeb, a Virginia Democratic National Committeewoman.

A senior Democratic official and DNC member, who declined to be named for professional reasons, called it an “unforced error.”

“Every misstep like this results in us having to spend a lot of time cleaning up the mess and repairing bridges and rebuilding trust,” the official said.

In order to clean up the ordeal, a DNC spokesperson claimed that Perez’s endorsement of Cuomo was of a personal nature and not reflective of the DNC’s position on the race. That mattered little to the party’s left wing.

Following the bitter 2016 presidential primary fight between Hillary Clinton and Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-VT), tensions between Democrat factions were at an all-time high. When running for DNC chairman, Perez pledged that the organization would remain neutral in primary fights. That’s why last week’s endorsement was equally newsworthy and puzzling.

According to the Huffington Post, Perez did not inform his number-two in command at the DNC, Rep. Keith Ellison (D-MN), about his plans to endorse Cuomo. While Perez comes from the Clinton wing of the party, Ellison backed Sanders in 2016.

Personal or not, the move has elicited criticism within the DNC’s ranks at a time when the party is seeking to form a united front for the November elections. Nebraska Democratic Party Chairwoman Jane Kleeb, veteran DNC member Jim Zogby, California Committeeman Michael Kapp and Missouri Committeeman Curtis Wylde condemned the action in similar terms.

They join Rep. Keith Ellison (D-Minn.), a deputy DNC chair whom Perez did not inform of the endorsement in advance. Ellison, a national progressive leader, publicly broke with Perez, reiterating his commitment to the DNC’s absolute neutrality in elections.